


Happier

by FlyRobinFly



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Happier, Love, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Episode: s06e20 The Wolves of War, Pre-Slash, Song fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-03 18:32:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16331336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyRobinFly/pseuds/FlyRobinFly
Summary: Theo thinks he has to go.





	Happier

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song Happier by Bastille and Marshmello

Theo woke up in a bed. In a bed. He didn’t have a bed. So it wasn’t his own. Memories of the night before came flooding back. The hunters, Monroe, Gabe, the pack… Liam.

Liam.

Theo turned his head opening his eyes regretfully to find the boy still asleep. He looked so peaceful, like maybe he hadn’t witnessed what had happened the night before. But Theo knew he had been there. Theo knew everything he went through because he was right by his side.

Even when it was over. He didn’t leave his side. He wasn’t sure how it happened but he agreed to stay the night in his bed of all places. He was too consumed by exhaustion to care about what it could mean for them. Sure, for him it was probably a good thing but for Liam…

Liam could do much better.

Liam deserved much better.

Lying there watching the other boy he can remember all the horrible things he’d done to Liam and his pack. He remembers the way he manipulated and betrayed them like it was nothing to him. And he wishes with all his heart that he could take back all those things he said and did. He wishes he could’ve been brave enough to ask for help, god knew he needed it. He wishes he hadn’t fallen for the Dread Doctors’ trap so easily. But he had.

And he suffered for his sins everyday. Everynight when he closed his eyes. He was a dark spirit if any truly existed. Theo was poison to something as pure and perfect as Liam. Adding Theo to Liam’s life would be like adding a drop of black food coloring to perfectly clear water. Tainted.

Since returning from hell, he’d apparently developed a moral compass of sorts because he was no longer OK with letting someone suffer for his benefit. Especially, Liam.

He had to leave.

Before it became too much to bare. The sooner the better.

Theo sat up careful not to disturb the sleeping beauty next to him. He gently placed his feet on the carpet and located his shoes before quietly slipping them on his feet. His phone was right next to his pillow where he remembered checking the time a few times during the night. He shifted to pick it up and…

“Where are you going?”

Theo closed his eyes wrapping his hand around his phone and slipping it in his pocket. “Um… thanks for letting me stay but… I have to go.”

“No, you don’t,” Liam said sitting up and, probably unintentionally, scooting towards Theo’s side of the bed.

Theo looked at Liam. He was confused as far as Theo could tell. Theo didn’t really understand his confusion. He thought it was rather obvious why he was leaving. But leave it to Liam to not see the obvious.

“It’s better for everyone if I go,” Theo whispered glancing down at his hand on the mattress. It was so close to Liam’s. He knew if he stayed, he’d be happy. At least as happy as someone like him can be.

But could Liam really be happy playing the devil’s advocate? Cause that’s all he’d really be doing, right? Defending Theo in front of his pack, toiling with whatever good might be left inside of Theo just in hopes of helping him redeem himself.

Theo thinks for a minute that he’d be doing Liam a favor by staying and letting him do such things to make him feel good about himself, a hero complex. And if not for that, the look on Liam’s face.

He remembers how that face used to be. Liam’s face used to be lighter, he smiled more. But Theo was to blame for taking that away. Theo was the reason Liam didn’t smile anymore. Theo was the one who manipulated him into trying to kill Scott. He ruined Liam.

He wanted to see him smile again but in order for that to happen he had to leave. And even then he wouldn’t see it because he wouldn’t be there.

“You mean it’s better for yourself if you go,” Liam corrected him bitterly. When Theo met Liam’s eyes with a glare all Liam did was scoff and shake his head. “At least stay until after the pack has a debrief on what happened last night. Maybe if we need your help you’ll stick around since apparently that’s all you think you’re good for.”

Theo didn’t know how he should feel about that. His initial instinct was to feel hurt but he didn’t like that feeling so he decided to be angry at Liam instead. His eyes didn’t leave the boy as he got up from the bed and left the room to take a shower.

Theo wasn’t sure why Liam trusted him to stay while he was in the shower because it was the perfect opportunity for him to just leave. But he didn’t.

A few hours later, he found himself at the McCall house with the pack while they debreifed each other on things that had happened the passed few weeks and would happen in the future. He mostly listened. It’s not like he could say much. All he had done was save Liam’s ass like Scott had asked him to.

He didn’t even have to bring it up either. “What the hell is he doing here?” Stiles pointed at Theo accusingly and looking around at the pack for answers. Most of the pack kinda just rolled their eyes and avoided eye contact clearly feeling the same way Stiles did.

But Scott, the alpha that he was, had to put everyone in their places. “Theo helped us last night. He didn’t have to-”

“No, Scott,” Stiles said. “I mean what the hell is he still doing here? Shouldn’t he be in the ground. Or in prison at least! Come on, the guys a murderer. You guys don’t seriously think that-”

“A lot of us belong in jail, Stiles,” a voice said from behind him. Stiles turned around and saw Derek offering him a serious smile. “Luckily, some of us are given a second chance to redeem ourselves.”

“So what? You’re takin’ his side?” Stiles asked him in surprise. “You weren’t even there when he was taking over the pack. You shouldn’t be allowed to take sides!”

“I’m not taking sides,” Derek hissed. “I’m stating the facts as an outside source. Yeah. I heard all about Theo and he sounds horrible but at one time, I was pretty horrible too.”

“I’m taking sides,” someone blurted out causing Theo’s eyes to go wide in horror as he looked at Liam. Everyone’s expressions matched Theo’s.

“What?” Stiles asked.

“I’m siding with Theo-”

“No, he’s not,” Theo said putting his hands up in defense. “Nobody is siding with anybody because there are no sides. I’m leaving.”

Before he could let anyone respond, he threw on a jacket and left. He didn’t need that. They didn't need that. He’d torn the pack up once before and he didn’t need to do it again. If he left now, maybe he could get away without doing any further damage.

But only for a minute, he wants to change his mind. He stops at the door of his truck and thinks, looking back at the McCall house. He can hear them arguing, loudly, amongst each other. It’s mostly Liam and Stiles yelling and he hates himself for it.

He hates himself for making Stiles hate him. He hates himself for making Liam… feel however he feels about him. He wishes Liam would hate him like everyone else. He hears the sound of the front door slamming shut and sees Liam storm down the steps of the front porch.

The other boy stops at the bottom and looks at Theo. He looks angry, hurt, lost. Theo isn’t sure. But all he knows is that he doesn’t like the way Liam looks now. “Don’t you dare get in that truck.”

“Liam, don’t,” Theo said in a warning tone, but they both knew he was pleading him. “Don’t make this any harder than it already is-”

“Why do you have to leave? Huh? Tell me the truth cause I don’t believe that ‘it’s better for everyone’ crap,” Liam said approaching him angrily.

Theo glared at him and unlocked his truck only for Liam to snatch his keys away and glare back. Theo hates this. Normally, Liam being angry doesn't bother him. He knows it’s something Liam has trouble with but he’s never seen Liam this kind of angry before.

It was a hurt angry. All he wanted was answers and he deserved that. “I want you to be happier, Liam,” Theo said eyes flickering between the boy and his keys. There. He said it. Couldn’t he just leave now?

But Liam just stared at him as if he wanted more of an explanation. Theo sighed. “Look, it’s not fair that you’re the one who has to end up defending me. I don’t need that-what are you doing? Give me my keys,” Theo demanded when Liam started walking around the truck like he was just going to leave.

But instead, he climbed in the passenger seat and crossed his arms pouting. Theo watched as Liam reached across the console and stuck the keys in the ignition, started the truck and waited.

“Are you serious?” Theo said allowed. All he got in return from Liam was him crossing his arms. Theo rolled his eyes as he aggressively got into the driver’s seat. “What are you doing?”

“If you’re so dead set on leaving then you have to take me with you,” Liam said stubbornly. “You leaving is only going to prove everyone right. Do you really want to do that-”

“There’s nothing to prove, Liam,” Theo rebutted. “They are right. I don’t belong here-”

“Fine then,” Liam said buckling his seatbelt. “Where are we going?”

“...what?”

“You said we were leaving. Where are we going?”

“I’m leaving,” Theo said. “There’s no ‘we’.”

Theo nearly flinched when Liam looked at him with a glare. Clearly he had no choice. He had to stay.

He got to stay.


End file.
